Polypropylene Pumps Critical To Pumping Seawater For Marine Research

A detailed technical report on the seawater pumping and treatment systems installed at New Jersey's James J. Howard Marine Science Laboratory is available in Bulletin TL-134 from Vanton Pump. Completed in 1994, the facility includes an all plastic pumping and piping system that feeds a 32,000 gallon research aquarium and a dozen seawater labs involved in marine research and experimentation programs.

The polypropylene pumping system operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Standby pumps are ready to go on line automatically if malfunction occurs, or during routine maintenance. The basic construction material for all pumps is virgin, homogeneous polypropylene, and the pump design avoids any fluid contact with metal components. The wetted portion of the stainless steel pump shafts is completely isolated from the fluid by means of a thick sectioned sleeve of the fluoropolymer PVDF. Flow rates range from 15 to 392 GPM, against heads to 110 feet, at temperatures from 40-75†F. Centrifugal process pump sizes run from 1x1 to 6x4 ANSI A-80.